TIBET: AR rupee, Kangding mint, ND (1939-42), Y-3.3, Szechuan-Tibet trade issue, large portrait of the Chinese emperor Guang Xu with collar, countermarked numeral 5 in rectangular incuse depression before mouth // vertical rosette at center, Chinese inscription, si chuan sheng zao ("made in Sichuan"), branches with cusps and flowers around, F-VF. The Sichuan rupees struck in Kangding were of an alloy of debased silver ranging from .420 to .605 fine silver. Sichuan rupees are occasionally found with countermarks in Tibetan and/or Chinese script and marks consisting of Western numerals or the English word "one." The meaning of most of these marks remains uncertain, but we can presume that they were applied to the coins by local authorities, such as monasteries or dzong dpon (district officials) in order to enforce the circulation of the Sichuan rupees made of low grade silver in a specific area of Tibet.
